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Dr Haar told The Daily Telegraph: 'We are treating a lot of pugs but it is because they are very popular due to celebrities.

'People like the way they look. We are treating eight times more pugs than we were five years ago.'

'People have been breeding dogs for centuries and they are doing nothing wrong – this is about education.'

Pugs Lillifee (right) and Knoedel look at each other at a beer garden in Munich, Germany (file picture)

Without facelifts, some pets can be at risk of going blind or dying because their airways are blocked (file picture shows a bulldog)

Dr Haar said he handles four to five of pet facelifts every week – but only do so if there is a medical reason.

He said: 'Breeding has led to shortening of muscles in their faces. Most are fine, but we see the ones that have problems because of their breeding.'

Senior vet Paul Manktelow at the PDSA animal charity said that the operation was 'in no way a vanity or cosmetic exercise', despite being referred to as a facelift.

He added that it was an important veterinary procedure carried out purely for dogs health and well-being.

Chantelle Meloy's dog Bentley, a Shar Pei, had to undergo a facelift at a clinic in London because the huge folds were covering its eyes, she told the BBC Two programme Young Vets. Shar Peis, also known as the Chinese wrinkle dog, can be traced back to the Guangdong province of China.